In a market that has been dominated by women, Eric Jerome Dickey's best-selling novels about contemporary African American urban life and relationships represent a significant African American male voice. In 1987, Terry McMillan's novel Mama found an audience eager for portrayals of urban black characters exploring various relationships. Since then, such women writers as McMillan (Waiting to Exhale, 1992, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back, 1996), Lorene Cary (Pride, 1998), Delorys Welch-Tyson (Gingersnaps, 1998), and Renee Swindle (Please, Please, Please, 1999) have found a large audience. Dickey joins a growing number of African American male writers whose works have consistently made it to the best-seller lists: E. Lynn Harris (A Love of My Own, 2002), Colin Channer (Satisfy My Soul, 2002), Marcus Major (4 Guys and Trouble, 2001), and Brian Peterson (Move Over, Girl, 2000).

Following the success of his debut novel, Sister, Sister (1996), Dickey's next three books--Friends and Lovers (1997), Milk in My Coffee (1998), and Cheaters (1999)--all...